Comeback queen Zheng stuns Swiatek to reach US Open quarter‑finals as Rybakina and Andreeva advance

Zheng Qinwen delivered an unexpected US Open victory, defeating Iga Swiatek at Arthur Ashe Stadium and advancing to the quarter-finals. The 121st-ranked Zheng, a former world number four and 2020 Paris Olympics gold medallist, saved a match point and stunned the six-time Grand Slam champion with a seven-game winning streak. She then broke Swiatek twice in the second set to secure the win.

Swiatek, who lost to Zheng in the 2021 gold medal match, was seen in tears after the match. "I guess to come back from 0-5 (Saturday) is not lucky, that’s all I can say," Zheng remarked. Zheng is the first qualifier or lucky loser to advance past the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam since Emma Raducanu in 2021. She will next face world number two Elena Rybakina, the reigning Australian Open champion, who defeated Naomi Osaka in just 66 minutes.

Rybakina is vying for a third Grand Slam title and a top ranking if she beats Zheng. Fourth-seeded Coco Gauff also reached the quarter-finals for the first time since her 2023 title, defeating 18-year-old US player Iva Jovic. Gauff will face fifth-seeded French Open champion Mirra Andreeva, who had a dramatic win over Anastasia Potapova due to Potapova's injury.

Meanwhile, Alexander Blockx made history as the first Belgian man to reach the US Open quarter-finals, overcoming Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo. In the men's draw, Alexander Zverev and Luciano Darderi advanced, while France's Arthur Gea could become the first lucky loser to reach the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam.